Chapter 6 Opportunities for Seniors - Ministry of Social and Family ...

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34. Lifelong learning is common in developed countries. There areseveral Third Age Universities – Kobe Silver College in Japan, theUniversity for Third Age in Cambridge in United Kingdom and theUniversity of West Florida Center for Lifelong Learning in USA. In SouthKorea, the Centre for Lifelong Education under the Korean EducationalDevelopment Institute conducts research on lifelong education.35. In Singapore, lifelong learning has been promoted by the Ministry ofManpower since year 2000. The focus has been on employability relatedlearning and the target audience were the less-skilled and lower-educatedSingaporeans. For instance, the theme in 2003 was “Lifelong Learning forEmployability”.36. Besides employability related learning, we foresee that some seniors,especially the more educated ones, would want to pursue learning forpersonal interest as opposed to employability.37. In Singapore, there are courses for seniors organised by thecommunity. For example, Marine Parade Family Service Centre has startedthe YAH! Community College, which offers courses such as life skillsdevelopment and information and communication technology. Seniors whoare 55 years old and above take up lifelong learning certificate courses in thecommunity college. The Centre for Lifelong Learning at the NationalUniversity of Singapore Extension offers courses in language, literature andculture. The CAI feels that more learning opportunities should be madeavailable to seniors.Committee on Ageing Issues: Report on the Ageing Population 63
Feature Highlight: YAH! Community CollegeThe YAH! Community College aims to promote Life-long learning as a means towardsproductive and active ageing among seniors in the community. Seniors aged 55 years andabove are able to take up certificate courses at the community college. During theircourse of learning, the seniors participate in volunteer work, community activities andtake up electives such as line dancing, yoga and creative painting. These senior studentswill then be recruited as “Active Seniors Ambassadors” in the various areas of volunteerwork.38. The CAI recommends that our universities and polytechnicsprovide more learning opportunities to seniors. The courses should beshort and non-examinable, and on topics that may be of interest to seniors.We encourage universities to consider allowing seniors to attend lecturesand seminars, as well as have access to course curriculum and materials atno charge. These initiatives would facilitate like-minded seniors to formhome-based study groups, allowing seniors the opportunity to learn andpursue their interest areas with minimal expenses.39. Libraries are established centres of learning. Our libraries are locatedwithin housing estates and easily accessible to the public. All our publiclibraries are elder-friendly. There are lifts and access ramps for wheelchairboundpersons. In addition, the book shelves and height of placement ofbooks are arranged such that it would be convenient for seniors to search andreach for books. To make the library completely elder-friendly, the CAIrecommends that the NLB provide more large print books and audiovisualmaterials that appeal to seniors.Committee on Ageing Issues: Report on the Ageing Population 64
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